WATER RESOURCES MINISTER AND EFCC (BENIN) ARE TO APPEAR IN COURT OVER ALLEGED CORRUPTION BY THE MANAGEMENT OF BENIN OWENA RIVER BASIN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY.

Fraudulent activities have allegedly been going on in BENIN OWENA RIVER BASIN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY. This aiding and abetting of fraudulent activities, was reported to the Economic and financial crime commission (EFCC) in the state.

Information obtained by IZEKSBLOG, the agency allegedly showed no concern in savaging the situation but rather allegedly compensated the perpetrators of this hideous crime with re-appointments.

Details as obtained below….

A petition was written to the minister of water resources and the EFCC (Benin) on 24/8/2020 on acts of corruption and other offenses against the management of Benin Owena River Basin Development Authority. Despite series of reminder notices to these agencies, there was no response.

It became obvious that the perpetrators of these corrupt practices were rewarded with a re-appointment position by the Federal Ministry Of Water Resources.


Some of the corrupt practices in which the Managing Director of Benin Owena River Basin Development Authority (Engr. Saliu Osifuemhe Ahmed) and his core management team were involved are as follows.


1. Payment of the sum of N9,206,038 estacode allowance to the managing director (Engr. Saliu Osifuemhe Ahmed) and the executive director (Engineering) Engr Veronica Modupe Olalemi for an unauthorized foreign trip which they never attended.


2. Payment of the sum of N7,578,444 estacode allowance to management staff for an unauthorized foreign trip which they never attended.


3. Payment of the sum of N3,789,222 estacode allowance to the Director (finance) Mrs. Chidi Cordelia Aneni for the unauthorized foreign trip which she never attended and the money was never returned to the Government.


4. It was alleged that the managing director (Engr. Saliu Osifuemhe Ahmed) aided and abetted an Assistant Director ( Engr S. H. Owolabi) who was paid an estacode allowance running into millions of Naira for a foreign trip which he never attended and the money was never paid back to government purse.


5. Payment of the sum of N63,000,000 for a project work that was not more than N10,000,000 as appropriated.


Other Fraudulent activities exhibited by the managing director (Engr. Saliu Osifuemhe Ahmed) and his core management team include.


1. Payment of the sum of N63,000,000 to Elanth Nigeria Limited for a Job not done on the clearing of additional hectares of farmland at Illah/Ebu community.


2. Payment of the sum of N63,000,000 and N29,000,000 for the purchase of fairly used bulldozers and an excavator with total disregard to the Bill of Engineering Measurements and Evaluation (BEME). A ploy to defraud the Federal Government.


3. The managing director and his core management team conspired to vire the sum of N16,864,482 from IJU/ITAOGBOLU Irrigation project vote and misapplied to pay the unauthorized foreign trip amongst the management staff.


4. The core management of Benin Owena River Basin Development Authority vired the sum of N15,934,968.42 from the construction/installation of Irrigation facilities and Obayantor Irrigation Project Votes and misapplied to pay extra-budgetary expenditure on the Songhai Integrated Farm.


5. Alleged aiding and abetting of the executive director (Engineering) Engr (Mrs) Veronica Modupe Olalemi by the managing director.

She misappropriated government fund running into hundreds of thousands of Naira and she was compensated with a re-appointment for another tenure of 3 years by the Federal Ministry Of Water Resources


6. Arbitrary award of contracts for various supplies above the authorized threshold limit in the tune of N21,142,695.


7. An alleged case of double promotion for an officer (Mr. Ibeabuchi Nwabuoku) from grade level 09-12 which amounts to Nepotism and Preferential treatment.


8. Extra budgetary expenditure incurred and paid for in the execution of the headquarters development amounting to N13,712,550


9. Misapplication and misuse of funds allocated for execution of various constituency projects in Edo State to the tune of N1,428,684.70


10. Deliberate and unjustified inflation of contingency payment without changes/ modifications to project designs to the tune of N20,536,698.31It is no longer new that the senate committee on water resources indicted the managing director and core management of B.O.R.B.D.A forgery and perjury, which was aired by African Independent Television (AIT) on the 2nd day of February 2020.

All these allegations were swept under the carpet without any investigation by the Honorable Ministry of Water Resources (Engr Suleiman Hussein Adamu) FNSE and the EFCC (Benin) for a period of 9 monthsAn anti-corruption groups has no choice but to institute a legal suit against the Honourable Minister of Water Resources and the EFCC (Benin Zonal Office).

The suit numbers are FHC/B/CS/10/2021 and FHC/B/CS/48/2021 which comes up on Monday the 17th Day Of May 2021 and the 27th Day of May 2021 at the Federal High Court sitting in Benin City. Finally, it is factual that the core management of B.O.R.B.D.A are destroying facts, records, and documents that may lead to their prosecution and exposure.


We appeal to President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure that these corrupt officers are immediately suspended from office and a detailed investigation is carried out so that appropriate punishment can be meted out on those found wanting for the agency to be repositioned to achieve this lofty goal.

Below are copies of the petitions sent to the ministry of water resources and EFCC